From Redwood to the red carpet

At one point during Nick Stanton’s climb up the Hollywood ladder, he made a promise to his mom, Judie Fox.

That promise — based on her request — was if he ever made it to the red carpet she would be his date.

“I was somewhat kidding,” said Fox.

Stanton took it seriously, and after hearing a piece he and his co-writer Devin Bunje had written was up for nomination for a Writers Guild award he called and told his mom....
Troy Krause, Editor

At one point during Nick Stanton’s climb up the Hollywood ladder, he made a promise to his mom, Judie Fox.
That promise — based on her request — was if he ever made it to the red carpet she would be his date.
“I was somewhat kidding,” said Fox.
Stanton took it seriously, and after hearing a piece he and his co-writer Devin Bunje had written was up for nomination for a Writers Guild award he called and told his mom.
After that, Stanton told Fox she was either at the top or very near the top of his list of prospective dates.
A week later she got the call confirming she would be walking arm in arm with her son.
“I?was honored when he asked,”?said Fox, admitting deep down she really did want to go and got excited when she got the word.
After receiving confirmation of her “date,” Fox started making arrangements, and one of the first things she had to do was find a dress suitable for the occasion.
“My friend Mary Gross went shopping with me,”?Fox said. “We found the most gorgeous dress.”
Fox wore a Carmen Marc Valvo navy blue silk chiffon dress, which she said made her feel like a million bucks.
“I?carried it on the plane all the way there to make sure it didn’t get wrinkled,” she said.
Fox admitted she is not sure when or if she would ever wear the dress again.
After arriving in California, Fox was able to meet with some of her son’s friends during a birthday party a couple of days before the awards show.
“They were all very bright, witty and engaging,” she said, adding meeting them was a lot of fun for her.
On the day of the show, Fox was picked up by Devin Bunje’s wife, Annie.
“She picked me up at 9 a.m. with coffee,” Fox said with a smile.
The pair then headed for Beverly Hills where they received a professional, movie star-esque session including a manicure, a pedicure and lots of make-up. She added the false eyelashes she wore that night were applied one by one.
After the two-hour treatment, Fox and Stanton waited for the 3 p.m. start. They drove Stanton’s car to the site of the program and walked across the street to the red carpet area leading into the theater.
“The red carpet really is just like you see on TV,” said Fox. “The photographers were elbow to elbow and shoulder to shoulder.”
The flash of the cameras was constant, and Fox said she suddenly realized she was by herself a few feet ahead of her son.
“I?was walking faster than he was, because he was really taking it all in and enjoying every minute,” Fox said, adding he stopped for photos and even answered a reporter’s question about the show.
As they walked inside of the theater Fox said the place was packed and people were enjoying the free food and refreshments.
Fox said the two of them had agreed to avoid the initial refreshment offered to avoid that spinach in your teeth moment – just in case they ran into someone they would have wanted to make a good impression around while they were there.
Fox also said her son had asked to be able to use her as a potential “in” with people they might meet.
One of those opportunities came when Fox said they came across Alex Payne who co-wrote and directed the film “The Descen-dants.” After an initial “request” and photo, Fox said Payne and her son had a nice conversation.
Later, Fox said she met Amanda Peet in the bathroom.
When the room where the show would take place opened, Fox said she was amazed at how gorgeous it was.
The show was hosted by Zoey Deschanel, and a number of stars, such as Octavia Spen-cer and Viola Davis presented.
Fox also said Amy Poehler was at the show, adding she and Stanton were both amazed at the fact they had just watched her on Saturday Night Live the previous night.
Fox said she felt very proud to be with her son, adding how good she thought he looked in his tux.
“Writers don’t put on airs,” she said, adding they are typically the jeans and t-shirt kind of crowd. So, getting them into dresses and tuxedos is an accomplishment in itself.
For Fox the entire event was like a fairy tale, and she said the dress altered by Lor-raine Jacoby made her feel like perfection.
“It was the most be-autiful dress,” she said, “better than anything I ever wore to prom.”
In the end, Stanton and Bunje did not win in their category, but Fox said the experience certainly made up for any disappointment.
The good thing, she added, was their award was at the beginning of the show so after hearing who won they just sat back and enjoyed the rest of the show.
A dinner followed the show and more than five hours later they left and, after a couple of stops, headed back to Stanton’s home.
“It was one of the best days of my life,” said Fox. “It was everything I?ever imagined and much more.”
The show “Zeke and Luther” for which Stanton and Bunje had been nominated has officially ended, but the two continue to work for Disney on projects that include work for Spanish Disney in Bar-celona and Disney Canada. He also continues work on a movie script with Bunje.